Sound the bugles, the smartphone derby is on

Monday

Jul 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM

It's been nearly 15 years since I moved to this oak-lined, lovebug-riddled region known as the heart of Florida. One lingering regret is that I still don't know jack about one of our greatest attractions, horses. Especially when it comes to betting the line and downing mint juleps. What I do know is smartphones, and if I had to bet the over and under on the great iDerby right now, my money would be on Motorola, not Apple or Samsung.

By Rob C. WitzelStaff writer

It's been nearly 15 years since I moved to this oak-lined, lovebug-riddled region known as the heart of Florida. One lingering regret is that I still don't know jack about one of our greatest attractions, horses. Especially when it comes to betting the line and downing mint juleps. What I do know is smartphones, and if I had to bet the over and under on the great iDerby right now, my money would be on Motorola, not Apple or Samsung.Now, it goes without saying that my first smartphone was the original Motorola Droid that I returned after only a couple weeks. The Droid had a catchy name for a Star Wars fan like me, but it had the not-so-pleasing aesthetics of the Millennium Falcon and was as big and heavy as, well, a horse. I hated it. Similar models have come and gone, and, honestly, I have been about as interested in those as I am in brussel sprouts.Still, a funny thing happened along the road to Damascus when a blinding light named Google appeared and $12 billion dollars later, Motorola is now a disciple of Google.It has been more than a year since that conversion, and you wouldn't know it from a leisurely stroll through the smartphone aisle. Moto has still been lost in the “shrubbery” to quote the epistles of Monty Python.Apparently, it is all about to change. Even for me who was blinded by Moto-ugliness. The scales are coming off with the rollout of new models including the much-hyped but yet-to-be unveiled Moto X, which will be the flagship model built in the U.S. by Americans. Texas, actually, so yes it will be big. It also will be infused with the secret sauce that Google has previously reserved for its Nexus models made by LG and Samsung.When Google paid a king's ransom for Motorola, the pundits wondered if the maker of Android would simply raid the company's prized patents or if they would make Motorola the first base of Google's techno home runs. It appears now that it will indeed be the latter. Still, will this infusion lift a company that has been losing money in the smartphone race and put it in the same “Galaxy” as Samsung and iPhone.It's likely Google saw the writing on the wall that Samsung has absolutely monopolized the Android market and that, if they ever developed an operating system of their own, it would leave Android in quite a pickle. Whatever the reason, Google is now polishing its $12 billion investment and jockeying for position in the great race.Verizon also has gotten behind Moto as well with the recent release of three new Droid-brand phones, the Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx and Droid Mini. The Maxx boasts a 48-hour battery; the Mini is an economical contender with a bigger screen than iPhone; and the Ultra is being touted as the slimmest in the LTE line. While these are all fine choices that will look better on the shelves than previous models, this is currently a two-horse race. The upcoming Moto X will be the flagship device that either contends or keeps Motorola back in the pack.For this reason, all eyes are on this week's Moto X announcement. It's not just about screens and processors anymore but how smart devices fit into our busy lives. Leaks and rumors point to a phone that knows if you're at home or work and if it's in your pocket or in your hand. It will always be listening for voice commands and will integrate information easily to your PC. What does all this mean? Only time will tell, but the elephant in the room is that the success of this device will reflect more on Google than Motorola. This is why I am betting on this dark horse.Google chief Eric Schmidt teased media-types recently by pulling out the gorgeous new phone at a recent tech conference. This move provides an apt metaphor for the fortunes of Motorola going forward. This is now Google's phone and they have all the firepower to go head-to-head against anybody in the tech world.Get your mint juleps ready.